When Michael Branch (CompE 0T3) founded Inovex over ten years ago, the fledgling software company only had one staff member: him. Now, under Branch’s skilled leadership, Inovex has grown to become a successful company that offers tangible solutions to clients in the environmental and healthcare fields.
Branch was one of three members of the U of T Engineering community that recently garnered Engineers Canada awards for their achievements in the engineering field:
- Alumnus Michael Branch (CompE 0T3) received the Young Engineer Achievement Award, presented to a professional engineer under 35 for outstanding contributions in engineering.
- Industrial Engineering student Hanna Janossy (IndE 1T3 + PEY) garnered the Gold Medal Student Award, for an undergraduate engineering student for leadership, contributions to society and volunteerism.
- Professor Michael Sefton (ChemE, IBBME) received the Gold Medal Award, the organization’s highest honour for distinction in engineering.
“These three extraordinary members of our community exemplify the outstanding contributions that U of T engineers are making at all stages of their careers, as well as the variety and breadth of those contributions” said Dean Cristina Amon. “I congratulate them on these prestigious awards and on their many accomplishments.”
About Michael Branch:
Michael Branch is founder, president and CEO of Inovex, a company that architects and develops web and mobile software applications for [AB1] customers ranging from medical clinics to municipalities to oil and gas companies. Inovex recently launched Maps BI, which provides visual insight into an organization’s geo-spatial data. In 2013 it earned two International Business Awards, for Best New Software Product and Best Software Design. A committed volunteer within and outside the engineering community, Branch is currently president of the University of Toronto Engineering Alumni Association. He also serves as a board member of Streetwise Actors and as a member of the Haltech Regional Innovation Centre. In 2010 Branch received an Arbor Award from the University of Toronto in recognition of his service. In 2013 he was recognized with the Ontario Professional Engineers Young Engineer Medal.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lY3MHBjeJpI]
About Hanna Janossy:
Hanna Janossy is passionate about creating change by empowering students to become leaders in their communities. This principle led her to revitalize the Women in Science and Engineering Association (WISE), hiring 20 new executives, launching three new programs and raising more than $20,000 during her term as president. She also laid the foundation for the annual flagship conference for WISE which draws engineering students from across Canada. Janossy has led several organizations, including the MIE Mentorship program (which grew substantially during her term as co-chair) and the WISE Hi-Skule and Mining Hi-Skule outreach programs. Beyond U of T, Janossy has volunteered with several non-profit organizations and works extensively with young people with disabilities. In 2012, she received the Canadian Engineering Memorial Foundation Vale Undergraduate Engineering Scholarship, recognizing female engineering students who have made extraordinary contributions to the engineering community.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hHfe0G0w5GU]
About Michael Sefton:
An international leader in the areas of biomedical engineering, biomaterials and regenerative medicine, Professor Michael Sefton led the way in recognizing the importance of combining living cells with synthetic polymers to create artificial organs and tissues – a field now known as tissue engineering. He was also among the first to demonstrate the significant synergy between chemical engineering principles and biomedical engineering. Sefton has successfully commercialized his research as co-founder of Rimon Therapeutics Ltd. and has spearheaded several university-industry partnerships, such as the Toronto Tissue Engineering Initiative. A leader in his professional community, he served as president of the U.S. Society for Biomaterials from 2005-2006. From 1999-2005, Sefton was director of IBBME, spearheading its development into one of the best institutes of its kind in North America. His many honours include the Ontario Professional Engineers Gold Medal, Killam Prize in Engineering and Fellowship in the Royal Society of Canada.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mviiP3idMtI]
The Engineers Canada Awards recipients were honoured at the Engineers Canada Awards Gala in St. John, NB on May 24, 2014.
extends human capabilities and the possibilities that we have. ” – UTIAS
researcher Angela Schoellig (Photo: Roberta Baker).
A helicopter drone zooms along the shores of Boston’s Charles River, carefully flying back and forth to photograph algae growth for nearby researchers. And who’s at the controls? Nobody – thanks to autonomous algorithms developed by Angela Schoellig, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto Institute for Aerospace Studies (UTIAS).
Next month, Schoellig – an expert in robotic controls – shares her latest research for science communicators from across the country at the upcoming Canadian Science Writers Association annual meeting at U of T.
In her research, Schoellig applies mathematics to engineering systems to develop the algorithms that systems need to regulate themselves and move autonomously.
“These algorithms are used in such items as a car that drives autonomously or in a home air-conditioner that regulates the temperature in the house,” said Schoellig. In addition to monitoring ecosystems in Boston, her algorithms are also used in the unmanned aerial vehicles that many farmers employ to monitor plant health and soil moisture.
Shoellig’s current work looks broadly at robotics, trying to understand how robots can learn from experience, collaborate and share information. It builds on her PhD research at ETH Zurich – the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology – where she applied new controls to aerial vehicles to help them fly autonomously.
“Robots work really well in controlled environments where you can give them all the information that they need to work efficiently and effectively ahead of time,” Schoellig said.
It’s trickier, however, in environments that are unknown or include people. Since humans aren’t predictable, the robots must learn to react to unexpected events.
“If one robot has learned about the environment, I want to know if that information is useful to transfer and understand how a robot could share that with its peers,” she said. “Learning is a complex task and it might take 1,000 trials. If the robot could share its experience, other robots could learn 1,000 times faster.”
Using algorithms that she has worked on, Shoellig can teach multiple flying robots to interact with each other in new ways – even having them learn a complex dance to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPvGxIBt3Hs]
“What I really like about robotics is that you can make a machine that extends human capabilities and the possibilities that we have,” she said. “They can give us a view on things that we would never have otherwise.”
Angela Schoellig will take part in the CSWA’s ‘Better Living Through Technology Panel’ on Friday, June 6 at 8:30 a.m. Read the entire CSWA Annual Meeting program.
Our design was like nothing they’d ever seen before.” – Jonathan
Hamway, co-captain, U of T Supermileage (Photo: Roberta Baker).
How much do you think it costs to drive from Toronto to Vancouver in the U of T Supermileage Team’s new eco-car? Hint: it’s less than a medium latte from your favourite coffee shop.
Unveiled at the international Shell Eco-marathon this month, the tiny car from U of T engineering students is capable of traveling 1,152 kilometres on a single litre of fuel. For a cross-country trip, that’s $4.70.
In this year’s competition, Supermileage won two design awards and placed second overall, thanks to an engine they redesigned from scratch. Taking place in Houston, TX, the packed weekend saw students compete from across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Chile and Guatemala.
U of T Engineering’s Sydney Goodfellow spoke with Supermileage co-captain Jonathan Hamway (MechE 1T3 + PEY) about his experiences in this year’s competition, and why he thinks next year’s team is poised to break the record for the world’s most fuel-efficient car.
Your team measured nearly double the mileage of your car last year. Are these the results you expected?
Initially, we predicted the engine would reach around 1,700 kilometres per litre, but we didn’t have time to tune it, and our clutch was causing a lot of friction, so we actually ran a lot faster than we should have considering those set-backs.
All we really wanted was to finish a race so that we could qualify for the awards. When we saw we were in first place for most of the weekend, it was just icing on the cake. We knew there was so much more that we could have achieved.
In addition to placing in second, you also won a Technical Innovation Award and the Pennzoil Tribology Award. Can you share what these awards mean?
The Technical Innovation Award is based specifically on engine design. The award [recognized] how we were able to incorporate different technologies that haven’t been put together in a small engine before.
The Pennzoil Tribology Award was about using tribology principles, like wear and friction, and how we were able to optimize those in our engine for ultimate efficiency. [The judges] based the award on the principles we used for material selection, like lubricants, and how we put everything together to improve overall efficiency.
What was the atmosphere like at this year’s competition?
We changed the competition completely. We were the only team with a completely custom-built engine. When the judges saw our engine, their jaws were locked open. Our design was like nothing they’d ever seen before. We definitely inspired people, and that was the best part of the competition to me.
Next year, we’re going to see a lot of teams trying what we tried. We didn’t hide anything; we told them how we designed it, built it and anything they wanted to know. It’s up to them to actually do it, knowing how much work it is.
Fuel efficiency is a relevant topic around the world today. What impact do you think your innovations could have?
This competition is essentially about pushing the absolute limits of what you can do when you only look at fuel efficiency… the principles we used are very applicable. Small engines in scooters, for example, have a lot of room for improvement and could use some of our principles.
You already see some of our designs in cars, too, like whole or partial engine deactivation in hybrids, causing the engine to switch off when you get up to speed. Our engine was actually off for most of the race.
In terms of the actual geometries we chose – the coatings, how we mixed the fuel and created turbulence in the chamber – those are proprietary to us and haven’t been explored too much [by other small engine manufacturers], but I think they definitely should be.
This is why soon we will be displaying the engine at several other design showcases that are more investor-based. That’s where we’ll be talking about transforming and applying our design for other engine-powered vehicles and machines.
You’ve claimed that next year’s team will break the record for the world’s most fuel-efficient vehicle – how?
For next year’s competition, we are planning to spend more time tuning the engine and making the car’s body lighter and more aerodynamic.
It’s not about breaking the record – that is the easy part.
Our biggest challenge will be transferring knowledge, as a lot of our team members are graduating and leaving the team. Next year is about bringing in new talent and teaching them everything.
In vitro fertility treatments can be intensely emotional and medically invasive, not to mention expensive.
But technical developments from a research group at the University of Toronto may soon be able to shorten the journey to pregnancy – and that potential has piqued interest from international investors.
The research group, QSperm, is looking to turn their research into a biotech startup leveraging an innovative sperm sorting design that could help the many human couples looking to conceive—and maybe a few cows and horses, too. QSperm likes their device to the “sperm Olympics,” in that it selects the highest quality sperm, increasing chances of fertilization.
Their concept won out over more than 100 competitors in the world’s largest biotech entrepreneurship competition, OneStart, which offers bootcamp sessions, mentorship, pitch feedback and access to venture capital investors in the US and the UK. Now in the top 35 finalists, they will vie in the finals on May 22 in San Francisco for $150,000 of funding, a year of lab space and business support.
QSperm involves three researchers linked to U of T Engineering: Professor David Sinton (MIE), PhD student Reza Nosrati (MechE PhD 1T6) and alumna Lise Eamer (MechE 0T8, MASc 1T3). They were one of two U of T teams competing in the finals of the OneStart challenge – the other being Munc-Key Therapeutics, which plans to commercialize a new approach to therapies for type 2 Diabetes. (Read more about Munc-Key Therapeutics)
Lise Eamer spoke with U of T News about how the university’s entrepreneurship supports helped her team transform research know-how into an internationally competitive business plan, with the support from the Innovations & Partnerships Office, U of T Engineering, MaRS Innovation and more.
What is QSperm?
QSperm selects the best sperm for in vitro fertilization or other assisted-reproductive technologies. We wanted something that was going to be simple to use and implement in a clinic so that it wouldn’t be expensive but that would help more couples conceive.
Our primary research pertained to humans but in our lab we were using bull semen to test the device to see if it worked, and then we realized that there might be applications for animal IVF because there’s a lot of artificial reproduction happening in the animal world as well as humans.
How does it work?
The device has very tiny channels the sperm swim through, and it’s basically like sperm Olympics: whichever ones get to the end first or within an allotted time period, then we select those. They are the ones that we tested and were shown to be the best.
How is this better than what’s currently available?
The current techniques for sperm sorting all require centrifugation—they spin the sperm, and that movement can damage the sperm. If you think of those teacup rides at the amusement park, sometimes you feel a little pushed up against the side, you don’t feel so good. And with sperm, we spin them so much faster, it can actually cause damage. With our technique, we can not only select good sperm but the procedure itself won’t damage good sperm.
How has U of T helped you transition from science research to an entrepreneurial path?
I wanted to use my engineering ability to help others, especially in the healthcare field, so instead of needing to find myself a job to allow me to do that, we’ve created one based on research I was already deeply involved in.
QSperm is a technology that originates from work done in the Sinton Lab. I am very grateful to Professor David Sinton for having not only initiated research work in microfluidics for health applications but also for his assistance and continued support as we work together to commercialize QSperm.
At U of T, I work very closely with the Innovations & Partnerships Office (IPO). They are always telling me about different seminars I can attend and keeping me in the loop in terms of resources that are available to learn more about entrepreneurial skills or networking with the right people.
And at the OneStart competition, emphasis was placed on the importance of having a strong IP position which makes me very grateful to the IPO at the University of Toronto and MaRS Innovation because they helped us to secure our IP and develop our business strategy. They’re working with us to assess the technology’s market potential and explore other commercialization options. MaRS Innovation also gave us a $25,000 grant, helping us get the device market-ready.
In terms of entrepreneurial skills, I’ve been participating in MaRS Discovery District’s weekly ‘Entrepreneurship 101’ series to gain skills about the pitch and meet veteran entrepreneurs. It’s great when an entrepreneur comes in and talks about their experiences. I find it really helpful to hear their stories about what works and what doesn’t and how they learned from their experiences.
How have these entrepreneurship supports changed your approach with QSperm?
It’s really helped me learn how to describe the technology to anyone and not scare them away with technical terms. Not everyone knows what microfluidics is, so instead we can bring it to something that’s more understandable, like with ‘sperm Olympics.’
How could your product change our readers’ lives?
If everything works well then we’ll increase the success rate of these procedures so that more people will get pregnant in that first try. Now, obviously semen preparation is only one part of the equation, but if we can ensure that only the best quality sperm are used then it eliminates that variable.
And what about the animal world—how could QSperm affect animal breeding?
In the animal market there’s a lot of breeding with a mind to developing the best animals for milk or cheese—they need a certain percentage of fat and protein in the milk. So if breeders know specific bulls will give the parameters that they want, they can use semen from those bulls with cows that give the outcomes that they want, and have surrogates host the ‘ideal offspring.’ We’re focusing on bulls right now because that’s where our contacts are but in the long run there could certainly be applications for competition horses and that kind of thing.
That said, when talking about the business, I focus on the human aspect because it’s something a lot of people can relate to. So many couples have problems trying to conceive, so people likely know someone who’s gone through it, or they themselves are going through it. The human side is easiest to explain to people, since they can relate, and it is the field where we can have a large impact. (Read more about QSperm’s road to the OneStart finals)
Always dreamed of being a doctor, lawyer or business leader? Try taking physics, math and engineering.
Students who score highest on the MCAT – the standardized exam for entry to medical school – are those who didn’t take pre-med, physiology or even biology, said Damian Pope of the Perimeter Institute of Theoretical Physics. Instead, they took physics, math and electrical engineering.
The same holds true for the LSAT, the law school entrance exam, and GMAT, for business school, he told the 2014 conference of the Ontario Association of Physics Teachers (OAPT), hosted by The Edward S. Rogers Sr. Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering.
A solid education in science, technology, engineering and math, called “STEM disciplines”, is the best background a student could bring to any 21st-century career, Pope told physics teachers from across Ontario who had gathered to discuss novel approaches to STEM education, from high school through university.
“STEM for university is the wrong message—it’s STEM for life, it’s STEM from elementary school,” said Dr. Bonnie Schmidt, president of the science advocacy group Let’s Talk Science. “STEM is driving the jobs…and kids are not making the connection, and parents are not making the connection.”
In her keynote address, Schmidt pointed out that only 27 per cent of 16 to 18-year-olds believe science has relevance in their everyday lives, and only 11 per cent of Ontario students take Grade 12 physics. Meanwhile, more than 50 per cent of undergraduate students in China are studying science or engineering. “Kids’ perception that science takes place in a laboratory is an impression we have to change,” she said.
The three-day conference featured talks from the Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics, Sir Wilfred Laurier University, University of Ontario Institute of Technology, Queen’s University, University of Guelph, Trent University and Ryerson University, as well as workshop sessions led by physics teachers from dozens high schools across the province.
Students were the focus of every discussion—how can teachers engender fascination in science and technology, improve retention and lead their students to fulfilling careers? “I would leave you with a challenge,” said Dave Fish, a teacher at Sir John A. MacDonald Secondary School in Waterloo, Ont. who also works on outreach with Perimeter Institute. “How are you preparing students for the world? For careers, yes, but what about as global citizens?”
inverted classroom approach at OAPT 2014 (Photo: Marit Mitchell).
Professor Micah Stickel, director of outreach for ECE and First Year Chair for the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering, led a session on his experience teaching with an inverted classroom approach. An inverted classroom has students introducing themselves to new material in video tutorials at home, then coming to class prepared for discussion and problem-solving activities. “It’s really the learner who creates their own meaning, and if they don’t create it, it won’t be with them in six months,” said Professor Stickel.
Professor George Eleftheriades led a session about his electromagnetics work, and Professors Nazir Kherani, Olivier Trescases and Zeb Tate gave an overview of their work within the context of energy research in ECE. Professor Stewart Aitchison and Willy Wong closed out the day with a session on their activities in photonics and biomedical engineering.
“For me, the beautiful thing about this conference is that it’s an opportunity for me to engage with a group that I don’t normally get to talk with and that I really love to,” said Professor Stickel.
“Our primary goal is to provide teachers with opportunities to network, to build a community of physics educators,” said Lisa Lim-Cole, vice-president of the OAPT and conference organizer. “We need to recharge that motivation of why we teach, and in this environment we can inspire each other.”
The OAPT organizing committee received enormous support from the Engineering Outreach Office. Next year’s event aims to expand the scope even further to consider best approaches to STEM education in Grades 7 and 8.
If you’re like many others using Twitter and LinkedIn, you’ve probably overdosed on articles headlined, “How to be more like Steve Jobs”, “Gandhi’s five tricks to success”, or “What Sir John A. Macdonald ate for breakfast.”
But to those at U of T’s Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering (ILead), the key to becoming a great leader isn’t copying others; it’s understanding yourself.
This is one of many lessons taught through ILead’s unique programs, which won the prestigious national Alan Blizzard Award for Collaborative Teaching earlier this week. The institute was recognized for integrating innovative leadership education into the U of T Engineering student experience.
Through several curricular and co-curricular programs, ILead provides new opportunities for engineering students to practice leadership skills – including teamwork, self-awareness and emotional intelligence – in a living laboratory both inside and outside the classroom.
“ILead plays an important role in preparing our students for leadership throughout their entire careers,” said Dean Cristina Amon. “This award signals the significance of the team’s work in fostering the next generation of influential engineers. My heartiest congratulations to the ILead team, and thank you to the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education for granting them this award.”
What does leadership have to do with engineering?
This is a question that ILead’s faculty, staff and leadership practitioners hear all the time.
“Employers tell us leadership skills are necessary for their companies to thrive, and we all know that teams that function effectively are more fun and more successful,” said ILead’s founding director, Professor Doug Reeve, who was joined by colleagues Professor Greg Evans (ChemE), Annie Simpson (ILead), Professor Robin Sacks (ILead), Dr. David Colcleugh (ChemE 5T9, MASc 6T0, PhD 6T2), Estelle Oliva-Fisher (ILead), Dr. Cindy Rottmann (ILead), Professor Alison McGuigan (IBBME), Patricia Sheridan (MechE 0T9, MASc 1T1, PhD candidate in Engineering Leadership), Cecilia Konney (ChemE), Deborah Peart (EngSci), Kristina Minnella, Brian Tran (ILead), Amy Huynh (ILead), Nick Evans (ILead) and Wayne Stark (ILead) in receiving the Alan Blizzard Award.
“At ILead,” Reeve continued, “our collaboration is enriched by the diversity of perspectives on the team: the social scientists inform us about humanist ideas and ideals, the educators teach us about teaching and learning, and the engineers insist on systems, frameworks, analysis and data.”
Successful engineers need more than just technical proficiency
The Institute’s message is that technical proficiency is no longer enough for today’s engineers. Engineering is, after all, about building systems and processes that have human impact. Engineers need to develop critical interpersonal skills, and learn how to self-reflect to leverage their unique strengths.
The ILead team wants leadership learning to be a universal experience for students – and a hallmark of a U of T graduate. Since its birth fours years ago, the Institute has grown to offer enrichment opportunities through experiential courses, seminars, certificate programs and retreats.
In September, U of T Engineering will offer a new academic certificate in engineering leadership, coinciding with the growth spurt of leadership courses in the Faculty.
“We want students to articulate their individual passion and channel it into creating something great,” said Annie Simpson, ILead’s assistant director. “As teachers of collaborative teamwork, this award validates the fact that we make every effort to practice what we preach, that we truly believe that this material has impact.”
Many students who have participated in ILead’s programs have won Gordon Cressy Student Leadership Awards upon graduating from U of T – and have gone on to launch careers in diverse fields such as international development, venture capitalism and advanced research, in addition to traditional engineering career paths.
Reinventing the undergraduate experience
In his installation address in November 2013, U of T President Meric Gertler challenged the University to re-examine and perhaps reinvent undergraduate education. This was a call that ILead continues to answer by aiming to reach more students each year with new, innovative programs that teach leadership skills, whatever the participant’s career trajectory might be.
In so doing, ILead aims to strike a balance between the demand for career-readiness and the University’s broader social mission to educate the next generation of responsible citizens.
Learn more about the Institute for Leadership Education in Engineering and connect with them via Facebook and Twitter (@ILeadUofT).
From the Society for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (STHLE), the Alan Blizzard Award for Collaborative Teaching recognizes groups or projects that exemplify collaboration in university teaching that enhances student learning. Only one award is given out each year.
This is the third time U of T has won the Alan Blizzard Award. Previous wins include the Faculty of Medicine’s Communication & Cultural Competence Website team in 2010 and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering’s Engineering Strategies and Practice team for their project ‘Team Teaching a Service Learning Course for a Large Class’ in 2007.
The award will be presented at the STHLE Annual Conference Awards Reception on June 18 in Kingston, Ontario. The team will present their paper, “Curricular and Co-Curricular Leadership Learning for Engineering Students,” at the Alan Blizzard Plenary on June 19.